Relics After the Snow Melted
The afterglow of the battle dissipated completely as the last snowflake fell in the hall. The biting cold in the air was replaced by the warmth of Lowell's healing spell and the gradually calming body temperature of everyone, leaving only shards of ice on the ground and the witch's corpse, which was gradually being covered by the new snow, silently telling the story of the danger that had just occurred.
Alright, battle over.
Himmel gracefully twirled her sword, sheathed it, and her face beneath her blue hair regained its usual refreshing smile, though a trace of the sharpness of battle still lingered in her eyes.
"As is customary, it's time to search for loot and labyrinthine treasures. This is the depths of a labyrinth from the era of the Unified Dynasty; there should be some gains." His tone carried his usual eagerness, a mixture of responsibility and an explorer's curiosity.
His words immediately ignited Ruby's enthusiasm. The little mage's emerald eyes lit up instantly, her previous fatigue and shyness vanishing, and she excitedly waved her fist:
"Yes, yes! Treasure! Maybe there are powerful ancient magical artifacts or lost magic books! Ruby must find the most powerful one this time!" It was as if the life-or-death crisis just now was just a small episode on the treasure hunt.
Heiter took a swig of wine, let out a long sigh, and laughed heartily, "Hahaha, hopefully I can find a few barrels of fine aged wine to calm my nerves! This godforsaken place is freezing cold to the bone!"
Eisen nodded silently, his bronze face expressionless, but he had already begun carefully clearing away the ice shards around the throne with his battle axe, revealing the pragmatism of a dwarf warrior. Lupa and Linié joined the search.
Frieren had already taken action. Like a silver butterfly that had smelled nectar, her emerald eyes gleamed with focused attention as she carefully examined the crooked ice sculptures and walls. Her fingertips traced the cold rocks, sensing any possible magical fluctuations or traces of mechanisms. Her obsession with "ancient magic-related items" instantly put her into focus.
However, after a thorough search, the results were disappointing.
Aside from some broken ornaments and a few Frozen boxes that appeared to be Monet's personal belongings, there was nothing particularly special around the throne. Inside the boxes were just some ordinary clothes, a few pieces of common jewelry that had long lost their luster, and some... small, everyday trinkets.
Most striking is a crystal photo frame carefully placed on a low cabinet in the corner. Inside the frame is a slightly yellowed portrait painted using some ancient technique.
The portrait depicts a family of three: a human woman with a gentle smile and fine lines around her eyes; a composed man with his arm naturally draped over his wife's shoulder; and a little girl, about eight or nine years old, nestled between them, with a shy and bashful smile. The little girl has beautiful features, and one can clearly see the shadow of Monet in her eyes and brows, but she does not have the horns of Demons, and her eyes are clear and full of innocent naivety.
"This is... Monet when she was little?" Ruby leaned closer, her turquoise eyes filled with surprise and a hint of complex emotion. "She used to be... human?" This discovery cast a faint shadow over the life-or-death battle they had just fought.
Himmel gazed at the portrait, sighed softly, a fleeting hint of pity crossing his handsome face. "It seems so. From human to Demons... there must be a sad story behind it." His voice was gentle, carrying the sentiments of a hero reflecting on the vicissitudes of life.
Heiter clasped his hands together and recited a short requiem in a low voice, offering his final condolences for this twisted tragedy.
Frieren's attention, however, was drawn to an inconspicuous protrusion carved into the shape of a snow crystal on the armrest of the throne. She extended her slender finger, tentatively pressed it, and then rotated it left and right, her movements nimble and focused.
Click.
A soft click of a mechanism sounded. The seemingly solid ice wall behind the throne suddenly slid inward, revealing a dark entrance just wide enough for one person to pass through, from which a faint, shimmering blue light emanated, seemingly from the ice crystals themselves.
"Oh ho~ Here comes the treasure!" Frieren exclaimed, her emerald eyes instantly shining brightly, her face filled with the excitement of "discovering a hidden level." Almost without hesitation, she was the first to crouch down and squeeze in.
"Hey! Lady Frieren! Watch out for traps!" Ruby shouted hurriedly, and quickly followed, afraid of missing something. Himmel and the others exchanged smiles, already used to Frieren's "treasure radar" ability, and entered one by one.
Behind the door was a short, sloping passageway, its walls and floor made of crystal-clear ice, emitting a soft glow that illuminated the path ahead. After walking down only ten steps or so, the space suddenly opened up before you to a small ice chamber.
In the center of the ice chamber was a small ice platform. Apart from that, there was nothing else; there was none of the magnificent, jewel-encrusted treasure trove one might have imagined. It was empty and somewhat desolate.
"Huh? This is all there is?" Ruby disappointment, her little face falling, most of her earlier excitement gone. "What... I thought the treasure trove of the Unified Dynasty's labyrinth would be piled up like mountains... but it's just this empty little house..."
Frieren walked straight to the ice platform. There were only three things on the platform: two books that looked quite old and made of a special material, and a small, square box that was tightly locked with an unknown metal clasp. Her eyes were instantly drawn to it.
She picked up the two books first. One had a cover made of some kind of white animal hide, cool to the touch, with a slightly clumsy but cute snowman drawn on it in silver lines, next to which was an ancient title. Frieren looked at it for a moment and read it aloud:
"The Snow Child's Guide to Summoning and Play... Hmm, it's a magic book for creating and activating snow dolls." She blinked her emerald eyes, seemingly finding it somewhat interesting, but only "somewhat interesting," and casually put it aside. Clearly, this kind of "toy" magic wasn't her primary goal.
The other book was made of some kind of specially treated, thick paper. The cover was dark blue, without any patterns, only a sense of age and history. Frieren picked it up and carefully opened it.
The pages weren't filled with magical incantations or diagrams, but rather with lines of neat handwriting that bore the marks of time. The first few pages still revealed the innocence and joy of a little girl, her handwriting slightly childish.
"Year XXXX in the Chinese calendar, sunny. Today, Dad taught me how to build a huge snowman! I named it Bingbing! Mom said I built it even better than Dad!"
"In the year XXXX of the Continental Calendar, it snowed. I got into a fight with Carl next door because he laughed at me for falling while running. I threw snowballs at him until he cried! Humph, let's see if he dares to do it again!"
"In the year XXXX of the Chinese calendar, it was cloudy. I secretly used my mom's lipstick and got caught... Dad said I'm not old enough to wear makeup yet, but I think it looks great..."
However, as the pages were turned, the handwriting gradually matured, but also began to take on a somber tone, revealing an unease between the lines:
"In the year XXXX of the Continental Calendar, a blizzard struck. The village's food supplies are running low... Dad went out hunting and hasn't returned for three days... Mom keeps crying, and I'm so scared..."
"In the year XXXX of the Continental Calendar, it snowed. Mom said Dad... wouldn't come back. Mom said he was killed by a monster in the mountains... Why are there monsters... Why did Dad leave us...?"
"In the year XXXX of the Continental Calendar, it was extremely cold. My mother was very ill... The medicine given by the village pharmacist grandpa didn't seem to be working. I was so scared... I heard that deep in the snow-capped mountains there is a 'Ice Crystal Lotus' that can cure all diseases... But it's too dangerous there, and no one dares to go... But I must go and find it! But, my mother said she doesn't want me to go..."
"In the year XXXX of the Continental Calendar, the snow was so heavy... Mother's hands... so cold... colder than the snow outside... She said she was sorry, she couldn't stay with me... No... Mother... don't leave Monet alone... Why... why is the Goddess so cruel... Goddess... I once believed in you... If the Goddess really exists... why..."
The diary entry is interrupted for a long time here; when it reappears, the handwriting is distorted and chaotic, filled with pain and despair, as if the writer were enduring immense torment, the ink even spreading:
"... Found it... I found it... not the Ice Crystal Lotus... it's... something better... It says... it can grant my wish... it can... let us be together forever... never to be apart again... The price? Heh... any price is acceptable as long as it saves Mom..."
On the last few pages, the handwriting had completely changed, becoming cold and stiff, as if each word was frozen in ice, carrying an inhuman sense of alienation.
"... It's cold... so cold... but... Mom... came back to life... although... she's become a little strange... but it's okay... we'll be together forever... in this eternal ice and snow..."
"... Those outsiders... want to take away my 'home' again... want to separate Mom and me... no... absolutely not... I have to turn them all into ice sculptures... like those in the next village..."
"... I am... Monet... Snow Witch Monet... Mom... I will protect you... and stay with you forever..."
The diary ends here.
Himmel took the diary from Frieren and silently flipped through it quickly, a growing gloom settling over his handsome face. He handed the diary to Heiter beside him. After quickly glancing at it, Heiter also sighed deeply, shook his head, and recited a longer prayer in a low voice, praying for the tragic soul frozen in ice and snow to rest in peace.
Ruby a few glances, her large, emerald eyes already brimming with tears. She wiped her eyes forcefully, her voice trembling with sobs and an unresolved sense of unease. "So... she did it because she wanted to save her family... but... but in the end..." She couldn't finish her sentence. Although Monet was an enemy, a witch, this obsession born of deep love, ultimately twisted into destruction, still evoked pity and a slight lump in one's throat.
Lowell picked up the crystal box, feeling a faint yet exceptionally pure chill on his fingertips. He gently unlocked the clasp, revealing a deep blue velvet lining inside, upon which lay a carefully flattened edelweiss, its petals slightly yellowed but its shape still intact.
He sighed softly, his voice low and somber. "Edelweiss... grows in desperate circumstances, symbolizing hope and resilience. It's just a pity... what she grasped wasn't hope, but a curse leading to deeper despair. This flower was probably the symbol of the most beautiful thing she could imagine when she was still human."
His gaze seemed to pierce through time, seeing the silver-haired girl on the edge of a snow-capped cliff, picking a small flower with pure wishes. Perhaps the turning point in her fate began with that picking.
Frieren gazed quietly at the pressed flower, its withered pale pink reflected in its emerald pupils. She reached out her small hand and gently touched the surface of the crystal box. Her tone was calm, yet it seemed to hold a subtle, almost imperceptible ripple, like a pebble thrown into an ancient well, creating tiny waves.
"So, those Yetis were probably the villagers she later tried to 'resurrect' or 'recreate'—including her parents—using the power of that magic book, a mixture of her obsession and Demons magic. Turning beautiful memories into monsters that haunt the living—a pathetic kind of magic."
Silence fell over the dark room. The "treasure" had been found, but it brought not joy, but a heavy sense of sorrow about obsession, loss, and distortion.
The so-called "source of the Yeti" is merely a broken family bond that a girl could not let go of, sealed with the magic of ice and darkness—a silent tragedy that has lasted for countless years. This cold treasure is heavier than any gold or silver jewel.
Himmel took a deep breath of the icy air, breaking the silence. Her voice was heavy. "Leave the diary and the pressed flowers here. Let them rest in peace, return to silence. This ice chamber... I'll put her body here; consider it her grave. We should leave."
Silently, the group left the last ice chamber and returned to the dilapidated open-air sanctuary. Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the dome that Himmel had ripped open, casting dappled patterns of light on the ravaged snow and ice, dispelling the lingering gloom and seemingly attempting to warm this land steeped in tragedy.
Frieren lagged behind. She glanced back at the book, "The Snow Child's Guide to Summoning and Play," placed on the ice slab, and paused. Her emerald eyes blinked, then she quickly turned, ran back, scooped up the book, brushed off the ice shards, and carefully stuffed it into her bag, as if she had just picked up a leaf.
"Well... maybe one day I can try building a snowman that won't bite," she muttered to herself, her tone returning to its usual calm, as if she wanted to use this insignificant, even somewhat childish "gain" to lightly brush aside the heaviness of the moment and bring this interlude to a slightly lighter, yet still somewhat personal, conclusion.
The group silently embarked on their return journey, their figures gradually disappearing into the darkness of the passage. Behind them, the roofless castle, along with the past buried within and the withered edelweiss, remained quietly in the waning cold wind, awaiting to be completely buried by time.